Xavier Postgame Thread

[oldude]

And Saylor is also 18?

Yes, but Saylor is supposed to be in HS.

 

[Bald Husky]

Nika didn’t hide how pissed she was that an Xavier player tried to harass her when she was just trying to dribble out. You know where you are with this girl. She brings an energy to the game as injured Anna’s replacement even if she lacks Anna’s judgment and shooting. If Anna heals, the two could really complement each other.

Nika was on the phone with the league after the game complaining. Still has to learn that she is allowed to take shots other than 3s. Great presence.

 

[msf22b]

A few thoughts:

-the most significant play of the game for me was Olivia driving to the basket from the outside...wonderful.
Stewie was incomparable at that...I always wanted Kiah to develop that; never did.
If Olivia and Aaliyah put that regularly into their rep, the will be unstoppable.

-Consider...a big, early problem was that Olivia, Aaliyah, and Nika all were regularly in foul trouble...no more

-A few times, maybe more than a few...one extra pass; still pretty effective.

-QB Bueckers to wide receiver Williams for two TD's the 2nd in the face of good D......maybe these guys are playing the wrong game.

- Aaliyah has a wonderful sense of timing in rolling in

-I thought for the first 5 or 10 minutes, that was the best Olivia played all season: passing, rebounding, shootingshots she could make and defending w/o fouling.

- Williams is finally playing consistent, winning BB on both sides of the floor.

- And lets not forget Mamma and Nika...not enough scoring but all other aspects...wowsa

PS: one further observation...If you have a physical problem like a bad knee or a turned ankle, it effects your timing and the manner in which you shoot...It was great to have Paige back in the game, but her 2nd half accuracy was lessened...and for a few weeks now, E has not shot particularly well.

 

[GRIFFBIFF20]

But her hair was beautiful

Yeah. But pretty hair doesn't prevent Covid-19

 

[Argonaut]

And Saylor is also 18?

Saylor is 17. She’ll be 18 in April.

 

[UcMiami]

Got to wonder when you have the Xavier team having problems all year with Covid, why in h___ they open their arena to fans and cheerleaders.

Nice they kept rotating balls when they came into contact with fans, but the refs handled the 'contaminated ball and the new ball so if there was any virus on one ball the ref immediately transferred it to the new ball - oops!

Sorry, but I worry about our team and while they can control their own environment, they depend on others when they are on the road.

 

[HuskyNan]

And Saylor is also 18?

Born April 14, 2003 per USA Basketball

i have socks older than Saylor

 

[Boreifs]

This is the standard BY answer to why Geno doesn’t put someone in with a huge lead along with the walk on knew what she was getting into. I was not implying that minutes should be taken from Saylor, Plath or Mir. I doubt that the last minute or two of the game was that instrumental to Nika’s development that Autumn couldn’t have taken her place.

That may be so, but who would you like to have the ball in the last few seconds when the defender is harassing the point guard?

 

[Bama fan]

Nika was on the phone with the league after the game complaining. Still has to learn that she is allowed to take shots other than 3s. Great presence.

After the game, Geno said he was impressed with Nika's ball handling when that girl was harassing her. Geno said Nika got a "little pissy" about it. I would not want Nika angry with me! There is no telling what Nika told that kid concerning her health moving forward.

 

[Childhood]

1. Just love Nika's efforts on the court. Defense wins championships. She will be the big factor in the tournament.
2. Another good game for CW.
3. Too risky to put Paige back to court with injury, it's not a critical game. I dont like it.

 

[cferraro04]

Paige, wasn't herself after she rolled her ankle. I would love to know what she said to Geno (that Geno says he can't repeat) when he asked her if she will be ready for the NCAA tournament in May. After she missed I think it was three shots, it was apparent that Paige was trying to feed her teammates after the ankle incident and wasn't looking for her shot. I think that made her play a little more one dimensional and gave the defense (since they figured out she wasn't going to shoot) an opportunity create difficulties for her by getting into the passing lanes. Maybe something didn't feel right when she took shots.

Williams and Ododa need to continue to build off these games...the defense is going to continue to give Ododa the foul line jumper...she needs to be consistent in knocking that shot down. Williams is best slashing and driving the basket...she is inconsistent from the outside.

Muhl is a warrior...she in there grabbing rebound, stealing the ball but she needs to be able to knock down threes as she will find herself open in the UConn offense.

Aubrey...where art thou Aubrey...I know you are capable of a double - double on just about any night. Aaliyah Edwards seems to have picked up where Aubrey left off last season. This leads me to think that Aubrey is hurt...and is playing through an injury.

Anne please get better...having an extra three point shooter in the line-up or coming off the bench is a plus and will be needed in the later rounds of the NCAAs.

Westbrook has become a stat stuffer and is fulfilling a different role on UConn than she did when she played for Tennessee. It is interesting to see the all around player she is becoming.

Poffenbarger, McLean and Gabriele will be bodies if we need extra minutes due to foul trouble or injuries.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Liv's performance today was very impressive. Aggressive and cat quick. If she keeps that up it will go a long way toward making UConn a Final Four team. Really was glad to see CW using her greatest skill attacking the hoop.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

 

[j66kicker]

Got to wonder when you have the Xavier team having problems all year with Covid, why in h___ they open their arena to fans and cheerleaders.

Because they’re in Ohio ##%?$&@#!!

 

[connie]

She is a tiger on the court, the fiercest player UConn has had in my memory. I just love her.

Agreed. And I’m guessing you mean “recent memory”.

 

[topogigio]

An unintended Paige effect: Too many players are trying to make difficult passes when a simple pass will do.

 

[chrissaran]

She is a tiger on the court, the fiercest player UConn has had in my memory. I just love her.incredibly

Kia was incredibly fierce. Remember against ND when Marina got into it with Napheesa, and Kia came running over. Marina backed up very quickly.

 

[chrissaran]

Paige made some poor passes also. She knew it; part of the reason she was unhappy with her game today.

 

[Vowelguy]

I believe Aaliyah is only 18, making her one of the youngest players on this team. She'll be a beast when she grows up.

Correct. Born 7/9/02.

 

[todbo]

Patrick Mahomes has nothing on Paige when it came to her passes today. They were money!

Evina may be one of the quietest impact players on any team in the county. When the game is over her fingerprint is all over it.

Great to see CW and Ono have strong games. Now let’s keep it up.

Love Nika’s compete level. Her shot will come around.

AE gets a little lost in the Paige sunlight but she’s been every bit as important to the teams success.

 

[SVCBeercats]

Patrick Mahomes has nothing on Paige when it came to her passes today. They were money!

The two long passes to CW were spectacular. CW's catches were great. Reminded me of the Kelly Faris to Maya Moore long "bombs." When asked about it; Kelly demured saying "I just throw them out there and Maya goes and gets them."

 

[uconnfan68]

Didn’t watch the game but when did Paige roll her ankle and how much did she play ?

She threw a leaping 3/4 court pass to CW, and rolled it coming down.

 

[hoophuskee]

I doubt that the last minute or two of the game was that instrumental to Nika’s development that Autumn couldn’t have taken her place.

Why do you doubt it?

If that last minute or two isn't important then why not have them goof-off in those last couple of minutes? Because if it's not instrumental in Nika's development then why would it be instrumental in anyone else's development too?

You're a fan and can declare a game being over as early as the 1st tip-off of the game. An elite coach won't ever coach that way.

We've read posts from those stating for example "put Mir in more because she can't get better if she doesn't play" or "We at UCONN strive for excellence." -- Well now we have teams that are still trying and hustling even when game is decided. How is it that we can say UCONN is striving for excellence when we think the last couple of minutes don't matter and someone like Mir has an opportunity to compete vs a team that is still trying hard? Doesn't she deserve this opportunity to see what she can do vs a team still competing hard?

It's an opportunity for example to see how Mir and Griff for example can play together. How is it that when an opposing team is still giving effort that even down to the last possession isn't a benefit to the bench players? I think players like Griff and Mir deserve that extra time despite whether a fan wants to declare the game over or not. The coach hasn't declared his coaching time to be over and usually neither has the other coach/team.

IMO an elite coach who strives for excellence wouldn't think the way of the last minute being non-instrumental at all.

 

[Dokey]

Agreed. And I’m guessing you mean “recent memory”.

View attachment 64833

I am glad you think my memory could be recent. Now tell me where I put my glasses.

 

[Dokey]

Nika was on the phone with the league after the game complaining. Still has to learn that she is allowed to take shots other than 3s. Great presence.

I wondered who she was talking to. I assumed it was her parents but your suggestion is very possible. I saw Anna—her biggest booster after Geno—try to calm her down. I think Geno knows enough by now to keep his distance if he can. Love, love, love this girl.

 

[fomalhaut]

Correct. Born 7/9/02.

Aaliyah has the same birthday as Svetlana Abrosimova!

 

[GRIFFBIFF20]

I wondered who she was talking to. I assumed it was her parents but your suggestion is very possible. I saw Anna—her biggest booster after Geno—try to calm her down. I think Geno knows enough by now to keep his distance if he can. Love, love, love this girl.

Rumor has it that Nika was on the phone giving a piece of her mind to someone she knows very well

 

[oldude]

Agreed. And I’m guessing you mean “recent memory”.

View attachment 64833

We need more Canadians.

 

[GRIFFBIFF20]

We need more Canadians.

 

[Boreifs]

Got to wonder when you have the Xavier team having problems all year with Covid, why in h___ they open their arena to fans and cheerleaders.

Nice they kept rotating balls when they came into contact with fans, but the refs handled the 'contaminated ball and the new ball so if there was any virus on one ball the ref immediately transferred it to the new ball - oops!

Sorry, but I worry about our team and while they can control their own environment, they depend on others when they are on the road.

I will be so pissed if someone on the UConn team tests positive. Hardly anyone in the stands was wearing a mask correctly and the opponents have played four games since Xmas. One doesn’t have to wonder why. Totally alarming.